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"Let us go find your father. I spotted him earlier."
I nodded. We didn't have to search long, being that my dad found us first. How he got onto the meet floor was beyond me because no parents were allowed, but I didn't question it. He strode toward us, grinning from ear to ear. He wore dark denim jeans and a white polo button-up shirt with a flashy colorful design on the fabric where the three buttons were left open. His casual attire was a stark contrast to the suits he usually donned.
"Adrianna!" he said with a proud smile, and then lifted me into his arms with a giant hug. He quickly released me and looked down. "I'm so proud of you. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Dad."
He was positively glowing and that made me so happy inside. Dad patted my shoulder. "You were incredible out there. I'm so glad I got to see you perform. I'll never forget it."
I beamed up at him.
"Frank," Kova said, putting his hand out. My dad greeted him.
"Konstantin, I can't thank you enough for getting my daughter one step closer to her dream."
"Ah, I am flattered, but it was not me. Your daughter had it in her all along. I just gave her the direction and means she needed to take it to the next step."
"What's next for her?"
Kova slipped his hands into his pockets and lifted his chin. "She will have camps she is required to attend, and international meets that will be added to her schedule. It is going to be a lot of stress to perform on demand and under pressure, but Adrianna has it in her. I need to meet with Elena, and then we can mull it over with dinner and drinks."
Dad agreed. "Whatever you need, let me know."
* * *
Kova wasn't exaggerating. My eyes widened as I peered down at my revised calendar in both hushed shock and eagerness. He’d devised a six-month itinerary for me that left my dad's forehead creased with apprehension. While I was impatient for it to begin, I could tell it was overwhelming for him. If I took a guess, he was probably wondering how I'd manage to do it all. My schedule would change drastically in the form of meets and camps. Seeing what I was about to take on caused a flutter in my heart. This was a challenge I was determined to win.
"I know I questioned this when my daughter first came to you, but I have to ask again because this is just…a lot." He picked up his copy and scanned over it for the tenth time. We sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant in one of the hotels Dad owned. "Will she be able to handle the traveling on top of everything else? The training and the camps? The time change is going to throw her off. I'm worried she's going to get burned out."
I raised my chin. "Of course I can." Kova and my dad looked in my direction. "I can manage, just like I did before."
"She only has so much time," Kova said, and leaned forward. "Adrianna is at her prime. We need to capitalize on it while we can. Not to say that she cannot go for a second Olympics, as it is always a possibility, but her time is now and we want to make the most of it. She has a valid passport, yes?"
"Of course," Dad replied, and scribbled down a few notes. "Surely the parents attend these meets in…" He squinted at his paper before his voice rose to a higher pitch. "Italy? And Scotland?"
Kova cleared his throat and folded his hands in front of him. "Some parents do. However, it is very costly, and the majority cannot afford it."
"So they travel alone to a country they’ve never been, where they have no jurisdiction? That's not going to happen."
All the air left my lungs.
"They travel with their teammates and coaches," Kova corrected him.
Dad's shoulders relaxed marginally. He was worried about the international meets, but with every right. I'd probably feel the same way if I were in his shoes. Any time I'd traveled out of the country, it had always been with my parents. Never alone.
"It's one thing to allow her to live on her own. I can get here in no time and I'm familiar with the area. It's another thing entirely to travel thousands of miles to a foreign country where she has no rights or protection. You mean to tell me parents just let their children go alone? Without a care in the world?" He shook his head and placed the papers down. "No way. Not going to happen. I'll have to check my work schedule and see what I can do."
There went the little bit of air I had left. My ribs throbbed from the pounding they were taking.
"What about Mom?" I couldn't call her Joy in front of Kova.
"Don't count her in on anything at this point," he said. He picked up his cell phone and moved his thumbs swiftly over the screen.
I pulled back, retreating into myself again. I closed down. Don't count her in on anything at this point. She isn’t even my real mother.
My forehead pounded. I couldn't wrap my mind around how she could go from raising me as if I were her own to discarding me like yesterday's trash. True, Joy wasn’t my real mom, but she was the only mom I’d ever known, and despite our differences, she was still my mom and I loved her. Maybe Dad was wrong. There was no way she would just write me off for something I had no hand in.
"What do you mean don't count her in?" I asked gently. "Can I talk to her about it in case you can't be there?" My voice sounded small and brittle. "I've never asked her for anything, but I'll ask her for this. She can't possibly say no."
